Translation and Interpreting in 200+ Languages

The Best Way to Check If a Translation Is Okay

The Translation Checkers’ Kit

Translations need checking, just like any writing. Just because your translator says it’s flawless doesn’t make it so. You just have to check. Or better yet, have it checked by someone you are sure speaks and writes the source and target languages fully, understands the subject and knows about translation.

The easiest way is to use professional linguists (like the team at Responsive Translation!) to make sure communication works in non-English markets. But often it’s a team effort where regulators, distributors and other market experts need their say in the way the translation gets done.

This is always the bottleneck for translation projects but making the process as painless as possible for your team of expert reviewers means quicker completion and more happy campers.

The trick is doing it like the translators do. That’s why we are spilling the secret sauce of how we make our translations the best in the business (we were rated #1 for customer service again last year).

You don’t have to be a language pro to use this method, but it is the method that the pros use. Share these instructions with your team to make the chore of checking translations as easy as pie.

What Is Translation Checking?

Translation checking is when a qualified reviewer performs an independent review of your translation. That reviewer could be a qualified translator in their own right, a qualified translation reviewer by profession or a qualified member of your organization’s staff that has been trained to the task. In all of these cases, the translation checker evaluates a translation’s quality and identifies possible areas of concern, if any, before the translation becomes public to a wider audience.

The Benefits of Translation Checking

Have you seen some of the news headlines associated with bad translations? Unfortunately, most people have.

For organizations who require flawless translation, translation checking is a proven strategy to save time, money and your organization’s reputation.

As the popular saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The short-term costs associated with checking translations pale in comparison to the costs involved with correcting mistakes after the fact. They could involve new printing costs, the addition of PR staff or, even worse, liability lawsuits. In the long run, translation checking is a cheaper and easier way to control translations.

Translation checking ensures that your organization’s translations are always safe, professional and useful to your stakeholders.

Who Makes a Good Translation Checker: A Checklist

Do you have what it takes to be a good translation checker yourself? Or do you know where you can find one? Either in your organization or through a trusted language services provider?

A translation checker should have the following qualifications:

  • Be a native speaker of the translation’s target language
  • Be at least a fluent speaker of the translation’s source language, but preferably a native speaker as well
  • Be an expert in, or at a minimum extremely familiar with, the subject matter of the translation
  • Have the knowledge and time to perform the translation checking process

What the Translation Checker Is Responsible For

A translation checker controls the quality of a translation. But first, it’s important to know what a translation checker is not responsible for.

A professional translation, before it reaches the hands of the translation checker, should be the careful result of a high-quality TEP process. What does this process consist of? First, the source text is translated to a high standard by a professional translator or team of translators. Second, the translation is edited by an experienced translation editor. This includes comparing the source text and the translation, and editing with an eye to translation quality and integrity. Third, the translation is proofread for any target language errors and readied for final delivery to the translation buyer. Finally, the buyer enlists the assistance of a translation checker to control for quality.

A translation checker should examine the translation for overall quality, in addition to focusing on five specific areas: accuracy, formatting, language, style and terms.

Accuracy: At any time, does the translation not accurately reflect the meaning of the original? Are there any omissions or additions anywhere in the translation? Are the internal and external references correct? Has anything been left untranslated?

Formatting: Is the formatting or spacing wrong? Do the links not work properly?

Language: Do you see incorrect grammar or syntax? What about spelling errors or typos? Are there instances of inappropriate or irregular punctuation?

Style: Does the translation sound wrong for the audience, using an inappropriate register or words that are inconsistent with the translation’s tone? Does the translation hit the wrong note, using an inappropriate level of formality or not using the language idiomatically? Does the translation disregard the style guide or inconsistently use different language variants? Is the translation excessively wordy?

Terms: At any point does the translation disregard approved glossaries? Are there inconsistencies with terms or expressions? At any time, is the terminology used incorrect for the industry, or is it inappropriate in a specific context? Are regional standards like units of measurement and address formats used inappropriately? Are locale-specific references like laws, job titles and proverbs incorrect?

The Error Log

A translation checker’s most important tool (and the crown jewel of this kit) is the error log. The one we use at Responsive Translation is a variant of the Localization Industry Standards Association’s QA Standard 3.1.

The error log consists of three components: a detailed series of error definitions grouped into five areas, an explanation of the three severity levels, and the log itself, where the translation checker can carefully record every instance of an error found within a translation.

Not only does the error log remind the translation checker of what they should be looking for, but the error log serves as a roadmap to completing the quality control task. Afterwards, for the translation buyer, the error log provides evidence of translation quality, or a lack thereof.

You can find Responsive Translation’s error log template here (as a PDF). Feel free to use it in your own work or share it with your designated translation checker.

How to Check Translations: A 10-Step Process

Now that you know the benefits of translation checking, who should be performing this task, what they are responsible for and what main tool to use, what about the process of translation checking itself? What does the translation checker do first, and then after that?

  1. Read the target language text–the delivered translation–in its entirety. This will give the checker an overview and provide a first impression of the translation’s quality without interference from the source language text. Does the translation read like a native document? Is there anything strange or incomprehensible?
  2. Note for closer examination later where any part of the translation was not understood.
  3. Become familiar with the approved resources for this translation, such as glossaries and style guides.
  4. Read the source language text in its entirety. Take note of anything that was unexpected given the previous reading of the target language text.
  5. Now it’s time to dive into the details. Read a short section of the source language text (the exact length is of the checker’s choosing) followed by a section of the target language text.
  6. Meticulously compare the two texts according to the five areas of interest (accuracy, formatting, language, style and terms) and gauge the severity levels of any detected errors.
  7. Record all findings on the error log.
  8. Repeat steps 5, 6 and 7 with the rest of the translation’s sections.
  9. Write a one- or two-paragraph summary. What was the general quality of the translation like? What did the translation checker find upon closer examination? Is the translation ready to be used as intended?
  10. Submit both the summary and the error log to the translation buyer or the project coordinator.

Ready for Quality Translations from Now On?

Trust, but verify!

Designed to safeguard your investment and position your organization for success, translation checking is an important part of translation buying. While great translations start with a high-quality TEP process, quality control through translation checking ensures that your translation is safe, professional and useful to your stakeholders.

To discuss translation checking or translation quality for your organization, please contact Responsive Translation’s Ken Clark at +1-212-355-4455 ext. 208 or [email protected].